Is there a chance for Philippine Citizens to become an ESL Teacher? I have a 7.5 IELTS band score and I'm planning to take up TEFL Certification either China or Thailand next month. Will it be hard for me to get employed? Please share your experiences and feedback. Thanks!

Is there a chance for Philippine Citizens to become an ESL Teacher? I have a 7.5 IELTS band score and I'm planning to take up TEFL Certification either China or Thailand next month. Will it be hard for me to get employed? Please share your experiences and feedback. Thanks!

Hi! I'm from the Philippines and currently in Moscow teaching English. Yes, there is a chance for you to become an ESL teacher abroad as long as you know your grammar and you don't sound like the stereotypical Filipino when speaking/pronouncing English words.

It's good that you took the IELTS test though a 7.5 score wouldn't get you to be an IELTS examiner as a non-native speaker but could be helpful if you're asked to teach Cambridge exams classes.

I would suggest a CELTA rather than a TEFL Certificate. It's just my opinion and experienced that a CELTA certificate has more credibility and a higher possibility of getting employed (as a non-native) not just within the Asian region but also be considered in Europe and South America.

I don't think you need to get out of the country to be certified, try to inquire the British council in Manila for details about CELTA training centers. However, doing it in Thailand or China would mean that you have access to be directly hired by the school (who runs the course) if you do well during the training course and you have the highest mark in your class at the end of the session.

I just wanna ask, if there is a training you have acquired to learn more about English that you would sound like a typical native English speaker? I'm asking this because I admit to my self that I still need to learn more about English.

I am an American teacher and a native speaker, I have worked in Thailand, Korea and Japan. I escorted a Filipino teacher to Thailand and helped her get a job in a bilingual program on the outskirts of Bangkok. Full work permit and pay of 20K Thai baht per month (about 28Kpeso). Often the pay is more around 12K Thai baht / 17K peso.

She had a TESOL certificate and I think that helped her stand out above the other Filipinos competing for the job. A TESOL (better yet the more prestigious CELTA mentioned by a previous poster) is often required / highly valued for a native speaker to get an ESL teaching jobs, so it is recognized by employers. I recommend you get a certificate in the Philippines as they are expensive to get in Thailand. I also recommend some type of “American accent training” like you would get at a call center. Here is an example of the study: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z8Vlk1CZBbQ

Don't sweet the grammar. Most filipino's don't have confidence about it, but their grammar is fine. Do not waste your time with more grammar study, you will be expected most of all to teach conversational English and grammar is not emphasized.

Is there a chance for Philippine Citizens to become an ESL Teacher? I have a 7.5 IELTS band score and I'm planning to take up TEFL Certification either China or Thailand next month. Will it be hard for me to get employed? Please share your experiences and feedback. Thanks!

It will be a bit difficult to do next month because most schools are in the middle of term. Most hiring is done (in Thailand) in March and April for the May start of term with some hiring happening at mid term (Sept.,/Oct.).

You have a similar problem in China at the moment with new hiring happening for Sept. starts already just about completed.

You also face the daunting task of competing with other 3rd world non-native English speakers trying to get into the same field. There is always more supply than demand. This is especially true if you do NOT have a degree (a visa requirement in most places for native and non-native ESL teachers.)

It is do-able but it won't be easy, especially if you are still in the Philippines.

If you don't have a degree then your best bet (and probably only chance) would be to try to get some experience at one of the Korean language schools in Cebu, the NCR or Baguio along with your TESOL certification.